Kurenai
by Psychoblue
Summary: As Lars anticipates Alisa's reawakening, he is confronted by doubts about their relationship. What decision will he come to after considering the precarious position the two of them are in? EDIT: Ending edited slightly: gotta make the fans happy!


**Author's Note: **It's been a while since I ventured into the world of Tekken fiction, but I decided to contribute to the community once again now that Tekken 6 is finally out. This story takes place a few weeks after the events of Scenario Campaign. I do hope you'll enjoy and leave a comment!

**EDIT: **Because I am not unreasonable and confident enough in my work to revise it, I've changed the wording around to avoid the accused similarities to Razer's ending.

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_I could not look back_

_You'd gone away for me  
I felt my heartaches,_

_I was afraid of following you  
When I was looking _

_At the shadows on the wall  
I started running into the night _

_To find the truth in me_

_X Japan, "Kurenai"_

_--------_

"I'm just not sure you should go alone, sir," the young man protested as his commander finished buckling his crimson armor and stood up from his bench. "These two are absolute megalomaniacs. The first chance they get, they'll break your neck and leave you for dead."

"I understand your concern, Larry," the commander responded as he lifted his head to look at his subordinate who was standing up despite being in a moving helicopter. "However, you and I both know that there's no way we can let these two go unchecked: they're just not trustworthy enough to be left to their own devices." The commander, realizing what he had just said, cracked a smile and let out a soft chuckle. "I guess in that respect, they're like a couple of little kids."

"Little kids don't crawl out of volcanoes and mountain-shaking explosions," Larry countered while he grabbed onto a railing, noticing that the helicopter was beginning its descent back to the ground. "The two of them are like Rasputin: surviving their deaths just so they can continue to spite the world. That's why I couldn't stand working for that bloodline anymore and began following you instead: if they're not pure evil, they're absolutely insane…"

"I don't believe it's a lost cause," the commander replied calmly as he continued to sit down in contrast to his subordinate's stance. "After all…I, too, possess their blood, but so far I believe that I have done a very good job in resist the temptation to fall into family habits. It is my belief that if I can ignore the mad ambitions associated with the DNA, then perhaps I can teach my kin the same lessons…no matter how foolish of a belief it might be."

"…I don't believe it's foolish, sir," Larry said after a brief pause while both he and his commander turned to face the helicopter door as it gradually landed onto the ground. "You are one of the greatest men I have ever met, along with Mr. Tougou. Even when you went missing after that raid of the Zaibatsu labs and became an amnesiac, you didn't lose your bravery or sense of justice. The odds were stacked against you, and by all rights you should have been dead even with the Mishima bloodline…but you survived all the same, and became an even better man than you were before the incident began. That's why I think that with that kind of resolve, you should be able to make things right in this world your own way!"

_I wish it were that simple, and that I'm here right now solely based on my own merit, _the dirty blonde-haired commander thought as the helicopter door opened up to reveal the cloudy mountainside. _However, the only reason I am who I am now is because she was there to guide me along: the android that we found at that lab raid, who was as much of a human as any one of us. If not for her, I probably wouldn't still be Lars Alexandersson, but some amnesiac wandering around aimlessly across the countryside…if not a corpse picked off by a Jack._

Lars was no stranger to being an outcast. He had joined the Tekken Force with dreams of glory and honor, using his then-secret of possessing Mishima blood via his illegitimate father Heihachi Mishima to his advantage. The Swedish-born warrior rocketed through the ranks of the Tekken Force with his fighting prowess, charisma, and bravery propelling him. Unfortunately, when Jin Kazama took the helm of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Lars found himself unable to fully carry out his new master's plans thanks to his valor and strict moral code. Using his influence in the Tekken Force to cause over half of its forces to defect, creating an independent group that had only mission: prevent the world from erupting into chaos.

Not long after his defection, Lars led his new Tekken Force into a Mishima Research Facility, hoping to learn more about Jin Kazama's machinations in hopes of thwarting his dreams of engulfing the world into a reign of terror. What he found instead, however, was a young woman sleeping in a clear capsule. Identifying her as the supposedly deceased daughter of the esteemed Dr. Bosconovitch, Alisa, Lars and his Tekken Force prepared to remove her from the premises when their secondary enemies, the G-Corporation, interfered and separated Lars from the rest of his forces.

As a result of the attack, Lars became an amnesiac and found himself unable to notify his troops of his whereabouts due largely in part to not remembering who they were. However, in losing his memories, he gained an invaluable partner in the awakened Alisa. Thanks to having analyzed the Mishima Zaibatsu database, Alisa was able to help Lars regain his memories and survive the hordes of enemies sent by both Jin's Zaibatsu and G-Corporation. What made Alisa particularly helpful was not her combat intelligence and skill, but her very human personality that gave Lars someone to speak to and pour his soul into as he gradually returned to active duty and led his Tekken Forces into battle against their enemies.

That is why when Jin disabled her "safe mode" and turned her into his loyal killing machine, Alisa's betrayal was far more painful for Lars than it should have been. Despite the fact that Alisa was physically nothing more than a very elaborate doll, Lars treated her as if she was as much of a human as he was. Lars saw her as something far more than a weapon of war, but a close comrade that he would trust his life to.

Now, Jin Kazama was gone, sacrificing himself to destroy the mythological harbinger of death Azazel. In the resulting battle, Alisa was rendered inoperable, so Lars brought her body to Lee Chaolan's robotics laboratory so that she could be repaired and brought back to the way she was before. Lee had told Lars countless times that Alisa would remember all of her previous experiences with the Swedish soldier upon waking up, but that it would take time for her to reactivate, and each passing day made Lars long for her more and more.

_That is why I arranged this meeting between Mishimas, _Lars thought as he stepped out of the helicopter and onto the charred earth that once consisted of Honmaru, which held the private training grounds of those who practiced Mishima-style Fighting Karate. _I do not want a world where Alisa can be used as a weapon again, like she was with Jin. If I can convince my family to hold off on their war until the world has finished repairing itself from the mess that Jin made, then maybe, just for a little while, I will have created a world where Alisa can be happy, without having to worry about being reprogrammed._

Sensing a pair of immensely strong ki signatures, Lars turned his head towards his subordinate Larry, who had just put his helmet on that masked his young face. "They're coming," Lars said matter-of-factly, indicating that he was ready to proceed with this most difficult of missions. "Stay in the helicopter and be prepared to call in the entire force to this area. I do not expect them to attack me before we reach an agreement, but we can never be too careful."

"Yes, sir," Larry replied with a salute before turning around and walking towards the cockpit of the helicopter. Lars did not expect Larry to understand the ability to detect a person's aura like a sonar would detect an object in the water, but it was something that Lars learned and unrelated to his lineage as a Mishima. Out of all of the competitors in the King of Iron Fist Tournament, quite a few of them possessed this ability, but those that didn't were not bothered by it too much. Some of them actually found it to be a bother: an ability that would distract them from the task at hand and just get in the way. For situations like this, however, Lars was thankful that he learned this ability, and hoped to one day teach it to his subordinates.

Two minutes after Lars' helicopter touched down, the young Swede spotted the first of his quarry: a black limousine driving in the distance, gradually becoming closer and closer. Once it was within ten meters of Lars and his helicopter, the limousine came to a stop and its motor fell silent. The passenger door opened up to reveal an elderly Japanese man with what little remained of his light gray hair jut out of the side of his head like eagle's wings to leave the rest of his head hairless, save for a bushy horseshoe mustache. Despite his advanced age, he was still in tip-top shape, as noted from his bodybuilder-type physique that was apparent even underneath his orange tiger-striped furcoat and purple dress pants. "At least you have the decency not to keep me waiting," the man said with a scoff as he walked towards Lars while folding his arms. "Then again, I should expect no less from someone who my Tekken Force has entrusted their lives to."

"You can save the flattery, Heihachi," Lars responded coolly. "Just because I only came here to talk doesn't mean that I haven't forgotten about what kind of man you are."

"You have no idea what kind of man I am, son," Heihachi growled, his eyes narrowing in disdain. "If you did, you wouldn't have turned down my offer to join me, and we would be fighting side-by-side as father and son. Do you think I would be doing what I am doing now, trying to make things right again in this world, if I were as much of a demon as you claim I am?"

In the final confrontation between Lars, Jin, and Azazel, Heihachi took advantage of the confusion and assumed control of the Mishima Zaibatsu once rumors spread that his grandson had perished in battle. The rest of the world, relieved that the tyrant Jin Kazama was no longer a threat, gladly welcomed back Heihachi with open arms. Not being stupid and recognizing the delicate nature of his situation, Heihachi declared that his first order of business would be to abolish the independent nation that the Zaibatsu created and return all of the conquered resources to its original owners. To the eyes of many, Heihachi Mishima was the hero of the day.

However, Lars knew full well that Heihachi never did anything that did not benefit himself in some way. By regaining the world's trust, Heihachi was positioning himself to once again become a major player in the affairs of the world. While Jin tried to take the world by force, Heihachi's goal was the rule the world using the rules that the world set out for him. Heihachi was every bit as much of a businessman as he was a warrior, and he was equally ruthless in both aspects.

_The smart thing to do would have been to kill him when I had the chance after I defeated him at his estate, _Lars thought with a scowl, which Heihachi took note of and smirked arrogantly. _However, Alisa was quite adamant against me pointing a weapon at my father, so for now I'll forget about the absolute disgust I have for this man. Heihachi might be a fiend, but he is at least reasonable: he'll listen to what I have to say as long as I can convince him that there's a profit to be made._

As he completed that thought, a chill ran up Lars' spine as he felt another ki signature rapidly approach the area: an aura that was so evil and twisted the Swede visibly shuddered upon feeling it. Heihachi, on the other hand, casually looked into the air with a slow lift of his head. "Of course, Kazuya is the last one to come," the elder karateka said while Lars followed his gaze to see a plane flying high through the air. "He always was the slow one in the family: that's probably why he fell out of favor with me while I watched him grow and I gave most of the business responsibilities to Lee."

As the plane passed overhead, a small dot was spotted in the cloudy sky: a dot that rapidly became bigger and bigger until Lars and Heihachi identified it as a human being. The falling man landed onto the charred earth was a loud thud, kneeling down on one knee before slowly standing back up, completely unfazed by the plummet that would have killed any normal human being. However, both Lars and Heihachi knew that this was no ordinary man.

As the dust cleared, the Japanese man's distinctive pointed black hair was made visible, along with an inhuman left eye that glowed bright red, like a fire of hell. He was not as thickly muscled as Heihachi, but that didn't make him any less intimidating. "I do not want to waste my time here…brother," he said as he turned his head to Lars while dusting off his trademark purple tuxedo. "I suggest you tell me what it is you wanted to tell me…and why you could not do it without bringing Heihachi here."

"You are no brother of mine, Kazuya," Lars shot back coldly, much to Kazuya's amusement, "and I know you don't see me as one. Avoid patronizing me if you do not want the entire Tekken Force to come crashing down on you and G-Corporation. Don't think I won't reveal to the world how you acquired the company, slaughtering the board of directors out of petty vengeance."

After failing to defeat Jin and obtain the power of Azazel, Kazuya retreated back to G-Corporation headquarters with the intention of storming the Zaibatsu and taking control of what he perceived to be his birthright: the Zaibatsu throne. Unfortunately for him, Heihachi beat him to it and announced his intentions for restoring the world back to the way it was before Jin's reign of terror. Although it angered him to no end, Kazuya begrudgingly supported the Zaibatsu's decisions and pulled back his troops in response to his father's decree. Kazuya was still being perceived as the world's savior, and the last thing he wanted to do was to have the entire world, Lars' Tekken Force, AND the Mishima Zaibatsu calling for his head.

_As bad Heihachi is, though, his son Kazuya is even worse_, Lars reminded himself as Heihachi and Kazuya looked at one other, wondering if one of them was going to lash out at the other. _Kazuya literally sold his soul to the Devil for power, and planned to dominate the world by force during his short reign as the head of the Zaibatsu. Heihachi was able to put an end to that, however, and toss him into the volcano. When Kazuya returned to the dead, he was even more ruthless and cruel than he was before, willing to kill his own son in cold blood so that he could become stronger. It sickens me to be related to such a monster…_

Lars took a deep breath and straightened himself out, signaling the rest of his family that he was ready to begin. _For Alisa and Tougou, though, I have to do my best to maintain the peace that has settled over the world. To do that, I must solve this conflict with my mind, and not with my fists._ "The reason I brought the two of you here today was so I could confirm with you the status of the Mishima war," Lars began, his voice authoritative and strict as befitting a man of his high military rank. "I don't think I need to tell either of you that the world is in a state of disarray thanks to Jin."

"I never thought Jin would so nobly sacrifice himself to destroy Azazel, after how he thrust the world into chaos, but Jin was always an idealist," Heihachi mused out loud, causing Lars to turn his head in the old man's direction in surprise. "I should have expected it, however: he would have never willingly throw the world into chaos if he did not have some sort of ulterior, softer motive behind it. After all, he's not Kazuya…"

"How did you know about his hidden agenda?" Lars asked, slightly taken aback at how something that was supposed to be top secret fell into the hands of Heihachi.

"Jin's former bodyguard Nina told me for a handsome price," Heihachi replied. "Still, that has nothing to do with the matter at hand. Continue."

"…Heihachi, as the current leader of the Zaibatsu, you have assisted in the repair of the world so that you can regain your political sway. Kazuya, as head of the G-Corporation, you have been assisting these efforts so that you can maintain your political sway. Meanwhile, as the leader of my Tekken Force, I have been assisting the relief effort in making sure that neither of you try to finagle any unfair advantage that you can exploit," Lars continued, quick to regain his poise. "That is why I brought you here today: I want to keep things the way they are. The world is in no shape to endure another all-out war, and I want to let both of you know that if either of deliver the first strike to one another using your respective military might, my Tekken Force will make its sole mission to be your complete and utter annihilation. I assure you that the attacking force will be much stronger than the current troops I have at my disposal, because I have enough evidence of your previous experiments to ruin the both of you."

"So you intend to keep us at bay with blackmail in addition to military might?" Kazuya asked rhetorically, a smirk forming on his face. "Perhaps there's hope of you joining this 'family' of ours yet: how very underhanded for a pretentious so-called hero like you…"

"I will do what I have to in order to maintain the peace," Lars retorted, his voice raising a few decibles in frustration. "If you two want to have a one-on-one battle where the winner decides who gets everything, then I will not try and stop you. What I will not tolerate is the two of you dragging the rest of the world into your vendetta." Taking a moment to clear his throat and regain his calm demeanor, Lars concluded his request. "Will the two of you agree to my terms, or will I have to apply a more severe approach?"

"What made you decide on this path of peace, Lars?" Heihachi interjected, his eyebrow raised in curiosity. "When we last spoke, you told me that your face would be the very last thing that I would ever see." Unfolding his arms so that they were spread out at his side, Heihachi left himself completely defenseless, as if daring one of his two sons to attack him. "Why not try and kill me now? If you focused your energy, you could probably kill me in one swift blow. I'll even give you the opportunity of that first and final attack by doing nothing to do defend myself: if you kill me, then the Zaibatsu would be yours and you can solve the problem yourself without having to try and blackmail me…"

Lars' eyes widened as he struggled to maintain his composure. Heihachi's arrogance preceded him, and did nothing but infuriate Lars to no end. Being Heihachi's illegitimate son, Lars knew full well what kind of evil his father was capable of, and if he killed him right then and there, his evil would come to an end. All that would be left to do is stop Kazuya, and then the world would be safe. _I…I won't give in, _Lars thought as he lifted his clenched fist before quickly throwing it to the side, away from any possible targets. _I want to make this world safe for her: she would never forgive me if I did so with his blood on my hands!_

"Interesting," Kazuya commented as Heihachi folded his arms, now certain that Lars would not attack him. "I would have ripped out his heart without a moment's hesitation, even if I were an idealist like you. Both of our lives would be so much easier without him breathing. Why would you hesitate?"

"I think I know why," Heihachi replied with his smirk widening as Lars looked at him defiantly. "Tell me, son: how is that pink-haired companion of yours doing?"

"That is none of your concern," Lars snapped back, clenching his fist once again as if to follow Kazuya's suggestion and perform an impromptu operation on Heihachi's chest. "This is between the three of us: leave her out of it!"

"I thought as much," Heihachi's smirk faded upon taking note of his bastard son's anger. "The reason you are trying to make us play nice for the time being is because of the wishes of Ms. Bosconovitch. For all of your intelligence and bravado, you are not immune to being attracted to a female…even if she cannot possibly return those affections."

"What are you talking about?" Lars asked with a growl.

"You know exactly what I am talking about," Heihachi responded accordingly with a scoff. "I admit, I am also fascinated at how advanced and human-like that robot is: if not for obvious traits like being able to remove her head, use her fists as projectiles, and procure jets from her back and legs, I would have thought she was as much a human as any one of us. However, that does not change the fact that she is a robot: a manmade machine that you can only look at and admire, but cannot nurture like you would a living creature."

"Why should that make a difference?" Lars asked angrily, annoyed that Heihachi was turning the conversation into one that was about Alisa.

"Let's say you do confess your feelings for this girl one day: do you think she'll be able to reciprocate these feelings like a human would, or would they merely be a programmed response devoid of any true compassion?" Heihachi countered with a question of his own, one that made Lars fall silent. Seeing that his words were beginning to sink in, the former King of Iron Fists continued. "Even if she did reciprocate, what would the rest of your life be like? While you would age like any other human being, she would remain forever young and be around long after you have passed on."

For this, Lars had no answer.

"…I will accept your terms, and hold off on any military campaign until there comes a time when all of us can agree that the world is ready for us to resume the conflict," Heihachi smiled, satisfied at his small victory over Lars, and turned around to walk to his limousine. "If it was that girl who came up with this idea, then I will gladly play along: I did say that she had a better head on her shoulders you did! BWAH-HAHAHAHAHA!"

Even after Heihachi closed the door to his limousine and drove off, his boisterous laughter could still be heard. However, when Lars could still hear laughter despite how thirty seconds had passed since Heihachi left, the Swede realized that the laughter was no longer Heihachi's, but Kazuya's. "Are you going to mock me, as well, Kazuya?" Lars said with a growl as his body crackled with purple electricity. "Whatever you don't understand, you mock: is that how it is!?"

"Hmhmhmhm…no, I understand perfectly," Kazuya said with a cruel smile, not intimidated by Lars' threatening gestures. "You've become enamored with a woman, and wish to devote your life to her. It's a dream that I've come to find amusing: a dream for fools who are too caught up in their feeble morals and ideals to realize that they could be so much better than that."

"How can you possibly understand!?" Lars snatched Kazuya by his collar and his lips curled back into a snarl, which somehow made Kazuya's smile widen further.

"…because I was once like you," the Cold-blooded Prince of evil responded truthfully before pushing Lars' hand off of his collar and taking a couple of steps back. "A long time ago, when I was still the head of the Zaibatsu, I was planning to conquer the world and take my place as the rightful ruler of the world. In order to prove my strength to its feeble citizens, I opened the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2 and participated as a challenger to show that I was not afraid to take the fight to my opponents. However, something unexpected happened: a woman confronted me, completely void of the fear that I would strike into the rest of the people I met…"

"…Jun Kazama," Lars whispered, remembering who Kazuya was referring to.

"I was mesmerized by this woman, not only because she was beautiful, but because she had such an air of mystery to her: a conundrum that I could not solve but marvel at its splendor all the same. Jun claimed that she wanted to rid me of the darkness that she said held me back from becoming a true warrior…and I listened intently. I began modifying my plans of conquest so that she could be included into it. We would have spent the rest our lives together, trying to solve the paradoxes that we each possessed: Jun with her aura of mystery, and myself with my veil of darkness," Kazuya's smile faded as his story reached an ugly conclusion. "All of these plans came to an abrupt halt, however, when Heihachi defeated me and threw me into a volcano."

"Why did they have to come to a halt?" Lars asked, unfazed by Kazuya's tragic tale, more confused than he was sympathetic. "You survived your own death and revived by G-Corporation very shortly after. You could have saved that poor woman the heartache, and she wouldn't have had to raise Jin alone. If you had been there, you could have stopped Ogre from getting his clutches on her and then this whole cycle with Jin being betrayed by Heihachi and plunging the world into chaos could have been avoided!"

"Falling into that volcano was a blessing in disguise: it opened my eyes to the truth," Kazuya replied harshly, his voice showing a hint of anger. "As long as my father still breathes, everything else is secondary, even Jun. The cycle only continues with Jin's hatred of me, and your hatred of Heihachi. Do you really think you can pour your affections onto that woman while the Mishimas still breathe?"

"I…" Lars began before pausing in mid-sentence. After a couple of seconds of silence, Lars lowered his head and bit his lower lip. "I…I don't know."

"It is the destiny of the Mishimas to fight and betray one another," Kazuya grumbled before turning around and walking away. "You can dance around it all you want, trying to hide behind friends, comrades, and lovers, but at the end of the day the result in the same. Until you are the last Mishima standing, you can never start something as simple and plebian as a romantic relationship…because it shall always be secondary to our vendetta. Remember that, 'brother!'"

Even as Kazuya left the premises, Lars remained stationary as he looked down at the charred earth. Both Heihachi and Kazuya's words cut deep: they hurt just as much as Jin's words when he ridiculed the Swede for falling in love with Alisa, who Jin referred to as "it." Lars may have claimed that his ideals with noble, but he was being driven by the promise of affections from the woman he loved…or at least, thought he loved. _What if they're right?, _Lars thought with dread on his mind. _What if I'm wasting my time, delaying the inevitable, just so I can make a machine happy…and why am I even thinking like that!? _

Lars' brooding was cut short by the communicator at his hip buzzing, causing the young man to unclip it from his belt and place it to his ear. "Alpha leader here," Lars answered the call with all of the authority he could muster, hoping to mask his uneasiness. "Go ahead."

"Sir, we just received word from Lee Chaolan's laboratory that Alisa's recovery program is approaching completion," a young woman's voice responded, causing Lars' eyes to widen in surprise. "Mr. Chaolan has asked that you come over right away so that you are the first thing she sees once she wakes up."

"…I'm on my way," Lars said before turning off his communicator and walking towards the helicopter. _I'll think more about this as we fly to the lab, _he told himself, hoping that it would ease his thoughts of uncertainty. _I need to be there when Alisa awakens: I at least owe her that much for all she's done._

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_2 hours later…_

Unfortunately for Lars, thinking about the situation only made matters worse for him. Once he arrived at the laboratory, he immediately went over to Alisa's operating room where Lee Chaolan went to greet him cordially. However, it didn't take Lee very long to figure out that Lars was in no mood to talk, after being immediately briefed by Lars' subordinate Larry of what transpired. "Those Mishimas are a tricky bunch: I should know, because for a long time I was one of them," Lee told Lars before leading him into Alisa's room and leaving the two of them alone until the recovery program was complete. "You should just treat them like mouthy little kids and ignore them. There's a sleeping beauty waiting for her prince, and it would be best not to keep her waiting."

Staring at Alisa's slumbering form made Lars' predicament even worse. Dr. Bosconovitch made her very well indeed: she had an amazing body that a gravure idol would die for, with an elaborate purple dress that accentuated her curves and showed off her bosom. Even more stunning than her body, however, was her face: as beautiful and as innocent as an angel, with neck-length pink hair that looked like the finest silk. The sleeping beauty analogy that Chaolan made was quite apt: Lars couldn't help but remain fixated on her lips, tempted to lean down and kiss them so that she could awaken.

"RECOVERY PROGRAM: 96% COMPLETE. ESTIMATED TIME UNTIL COMPLETION: FIVE MINUTES, SIXTEEN SECONDS."

_I've been looking forward to this day for weeks now, _Lars thought as he looked down at his hand which held the flower-laden hairpiece that had belonged to Alisa. _I've been pondering what words I should say to her when she wakes up and I return this hairpiece back to her. But now…now I'm at a loss for words. I know I should be treating Heihachi and Kazuya as brats and ignore them, and yet they still cut deep. What kind of Tekken Force commander am I, bothered by something that is said instead of done?_

"You seem to have a lot on your mind."

Startled by the voice, Lars jolted his head to the right and then took a step back in further surprise. Standing next to him was a man clad in a peculiar dark gray-and-red outfit that would normally be reserved for ninja-based serial dramas that would pepper the television landscape in Japan. With the ninja turned his head to reveal a pair of familiar eyes and dark skin, however, Lars breathed a sigh of relief. "You surprised me, Raven," Lars admitted while he regained his composure and outstretched his hand in friendship. "I am happy to see that you are doing well."

Raven looked at the hand pensively for a moment before outstretching his own hand and shaking it. "I told you the next time we met, we might be enemies," Raven replied coolly before breaking the handshake. "Luckily for us: that time has not yet come. I decided to come here and monitor the progress of our fallen comrade. It seems that she's doing very well…"

"Indeed she is," Lars replied quietly.

Raven raised an eyebrow as he tried to make out what Lars said next, but his words trailed off into mumbling. "There's clearly something that's bothering you," the ninja interrupted, causing Lars to snap out of his trance. "I don't know how much help I can be, but just know that if you have a problem, don't be afraid to ask for my personal opinion."

"It's about me and Alisa," Lars admitted before turning his gaze back towards Alisa. "Earlier today, I had that talk with Heihachi and Kazuya where we would discuss the future of the Mishima conflict, and both of them said something that has been on my mind since. Heihachi says that I should not get too attached to Alisa because she is a robot who cannot possibly understand things like love and companionship, while Kazuya says that I should not get too attached because the Mishima blood in my veins prevents me from creating a lasting relationship. It's been bothering me a little more with each passing minute, and right Alisa right here ready to wake up, the uncertainty is more than I can bear."

"…while I am no expert in the field of love, and I can offer you some advice," Raven said after a pause before folding his arms and looking down at Alisa. "During my training to become a ninja, my instructor said that there are two main parts of any living being. There is the material self, which consists of our physical selves: blood, bone, flesh, stuff like that. On the other hand, there is the immaterial self: this would be our consciousness, or our soul."

"How does this relate to Alisa?"

"On one hand, it's just like Heihachi and Kazuya say: Alisa is a robot, and you carry the Mishima bloodline. On the other hand, your soul is very much not like that of Heihachi and Kazuya, and Alisa's soul is as real as anyone else's. Which is more important to you: the material, or the immaterial?"

"…when I first saw Alisa in the laboratory, I took note of how she was hooked up to the machines," Lars began after a moment's pause, thinking about his answer. "However, during our travels together, she revealed that despite being created as an instrument of war, her personality was as human as could be. If not for the dossier that my Tekken Force compiled for her, I would have been certain that she was 100% human." Reaching down to touch Alisa's cheek, he cracked a warm smile. "When Alisa told me that I was the first person to treat her like a human, I was surprised…because to me, she was more human than anyone else I know."

"Then I don't see what the problem is," Raven said matter-of-factly. "Don't let the words of the Mishima get into your head. You're a solider: you know better than that."

"RECOVERY PROGRAM COMPLETE: ACTIVATING."

Upon hearing the computerized voice and the gentle humming coming from Alisa's body, Lars removed his hand from Alisa's cheek and got her hairpiece ready. "Raven, thank you for talking with me: I-" Turning his head to thank his comrade, Lars realized that Raven had already vanished like an illusion, reminding the Tekken Force officer once again that Raven was a ninja, and acted as such. "Heh...same as always…"

Once the humming had reached a high enough frequency and became inaudible to the human ear, Alisa opened her emerald-green eyes and immediately lifted herself off of her table and placed her feet onto the ground. "I know this place," she said with that sweet, honey-like voice that Lars had found so comforting during his time as an amnesiac. "This is Lee Chaolan's robotics facility. How did I get here?"

"I brought you here," Lars said with a smile, causing Alisa to turn her head and smile warmly right back. "After you shut down, I defeated Jin and brought you here so that you could be restored. Thankfully, Lee was able to come through: welcome back, Alisa."

"It is good to see you again, as well, Lars," Alisa replied joyfully, tilting her head as she did so. As her eyes wandered downward, the young cyborg noticed something in Lars' hand: something that she was quite familiar with it. "Oh…I had thought that I had lost that. Thank you for retrieving it for me."

"…I was saving it for you," Lars said before lifting his hand and handing the hairpiece over to her, smiling wider as she delicately placed it in her hair. "I kept it with me to serve as a reminder of our travels together, and now that you're back…I look forward to having you travel with me again."

"…there are tears coming from your eyes. Are you sad?"

"What?" Lars turned around to look at his reflection in the glass window behind him, and saw what Alisa was talking about: sometime during the conversation, he had indeed started crying. "I cannot believe how sentimental I am becoming: the rest of my troops would laugh at me if they saw me now…" Turning back around to face Alisa, Lars once again smiled reassuredly. "No, Alisa, I'm not sad…I'm actually quite the opposite, because now I can speak to you again."

"'Tears of joy,'" Alisa blurted out before slowly reaching out to grab Lars' hand. "That's what my father calls them. He told me that they are a sign of overwhelming happiness, usually brought about by an extreme euphoric feeling. Unfortunately, I do not yet possess the technology to cry these type of tears…because if I did, I would certainly be doing so now."

"Why is that, Alisa?" Lars asked before tightening his hand around hers.

"…because I'm also very happy to see you, thanks to a latent emotion program that had been activated just before I shut down," Alisa answered, her voice becoming quieter. "My father told me that if this emotional program were ever activated, then I would have become complete, and he could proudly call me 'his daughter.'" With bringing her face closer to Lars, who had not yet realized what she was talking about, Alisa's voice turned into a hushed whisper. "He told me that when someone activates these feelings…I should give this to them…"

By the time Lars realized what was going on, it was already too late: Alisa had wrapped her arms around him and pressed her soft lips against his own. _It's like being pressed up against an machine that has been exposed in the cold too long, frozen and lifeless…but why do I feel so warm? It's as if my brain is giving me one sensation…but my soul is giving me another sensation entirely_

"_She is a robot: a manmade machine that you can only look at and admire, but cannot nurture like you would a living creature." _

_She is unmistakably alive, _Lars thought as he returned the kiss, wrapping his arms gently around the young woman. _She might not have the same physiology that I do, but that makes little difference compared to what lies within the shell._

"_Until you are the last Mishima standing, you can never start something as simple and plebian as a romantic relationship…because it shall always be secondary to our vendetta."_

_Then I will make her my primary concern, and the vendetta secondary, _Lars tightened his embrace even as the two parted lips, causing Alisa to do the same. _As far as I'm concerned, Alisa is my reason for seeking peace in this world. I am not doing this because of my lineage, but because I want to create a world where she does not have to be used against her will like Jin did with you. _

"I won't let anyone violate you again, Alisa," Lars said out loud before lifting his hand and placing it on Alisa's head so that he could stroke her fine hair. "You might not be a human in the physical sense, but you as much of a person on the inside, and that is what matters to me…because I love you."

"Love…so that's what it's called," Alisa replied with a smile as she rested her head against Lars' chest. "What a nice-sounding name…but I suppose an emotion as wonderful as this would have something like that."


End file.
